Legendary: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir
by Happy Snow
Summary: Ladybug's mission was never about the Akumatised villains but now that they have started appearing left and right, distracting him from his true mission, he supposes he has no choice but to deal with them. Good thing he has some unexpected help from the mysterious Chat Noir.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own either A Song of Ice and Fire or Miraculous Ladybug._

"Please, I'm begging you, just tell her already," Duck complains, trying (and failing) to push Aegon towards the target of his affection once more. "We've been eating clams for weeks now and I can't be the only one who's getting sick of it."

"Noo," Aegon groans in response, burying his face in his hands. "You know I can't do it. I've been trying and trying but everytime I go up to her, my mind goes blank. I can't help it, she's just so amazing it stops my brain from working!"

Rolling his eyes at Aegon's antics, Duck lights smacks him over his head. "Well, then we're leaving. I'm not buying more clams just for you to talk to her. Talk to her when she's not selling clams!" Fed up with Aegon's unusual cowardice when it came to the girl, he was just about to turn and walk away when the very girl they were discussing, Cat, glances up at them and breaks into a smile, waving at them.

Blushing up a storm, Aegon stumbles on nothing immediately, nearly falling over in his rush to wave back at her. By the time he was steadily back on two feet, she had already gone back to speaking with the next customer. Duck finds himself rolling his eyes (once again), at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Look, how about I'll just ask if the three of them would like to come to the Unmasking festival with us. I'll talk to Brea and Talea and lead them away somehow, and you can have your precious date with Cat!" Before Aegon could even began to protest, Duck had already marched up to the stall, just as they were packing up after the last customer.

As he closed in on the stall with Aegon trailing behind him uncertainly, the girls had already noticed their approach. With a quick glance at one another, Brea steps out in front of the mostly-dismantled stall, leaving Cat and Talea to the packing. "We're out of clams," Brea told them, as though it wasn't obvious to anyone watching. "Maybe come back tomorrow?"

"Nah, that's fine," Duck replied, smirking in what he must think is a suave manner. "We're not here for the clams today. We were just wondering if you girls would like to go to the Unmasking festival with us actually?"

Brea had barely opened her mouth in shock, her cheeks turning pink, when Talea popped out enthusiastically from behind the barrow that now contained all of their stall's set up. "Oooh, Brea's got an admirer!"

Cat laughed loudly, "Another admirer, you mean."

Ducking his head in embarrassment, Aegon started fidgeting with his hands anxiously. This was going horribly wrong. He really needed to find some way to stop Duck whenever he comes up with some ridiculous plans like this. Yet somehow completely unfazed, Duck merely smiles at the blushing girl, leaning against a nearby pole casually.

"I…"

"Who do you think likes her?" Talea stage-whispers to Cat, loud enough for her to be heard clearly. "The blond or the tall."

Cat tries (and fails) not to giggle as Brea turns around to glare at them. "Probably both, why else would they be asking together," she stage-whispers back in conspiratorial tone, winking at Brea for added measure. Barely keeping his cool with the urge to correct Cat's assumption, Aegon found himself shuffling his feet nervously.

"Stop it! How do you know they don't like one of you?" Brea declared, stomping her foot almost childishly. Exactly, Aegon wanted to say, and he had almost said it too but Cat and Talea had already burst out laughing, doubling over with amusement he could not understand.

Finally deciding to ignore the girls attempt to embarrass them, Brea turns back to them, wiping the irritation from her face as she smiled politely. "I'm very sorry," she starts hesitantly, "but I already have plans for the festival. The two of them, however, would be happy to join you."

This sobered the other girls up instantly, turning to glare at her. "You can't just decide for us," Talea huffed angrily, swatting at Brea who ducks elegantly. "I don't want to go to the festival with your admirers! That'll just be annoying."

"Well, Pa said you couldn't go unless you were with someone because you were too young anyway! This is basically your only chance!"

With the conversation going far off tangent from what Duck had intended, he floundered for words, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to think of something to salvage the situation. As he steps forward in an attempt to defuse the situation between the bickering sisters, Aegon felt a small tap on his arm. Looking down, his heart nearly leapt out of his mouth as finds himself face to face with the lovely Cat, her beautiful grey eyes staring right at him.

"Do you have any plans for which events you wanted to attend?" she asked quietly, simply ignoring the fiasco happening right in front of them as though it was a common occurrence.

Aegon, his arm still tingling from her touch, merely blinked at her stupidly, astonished that she had actually spoken to him. He could barely believe it when she had remembered their names a few weeks ago, but that she was entertaining Duck's idea of going together was so bizarre he felt sure that he must be dreaming. When the only change after pinching himself on the arm was Cat tilting her head in question, looking impossibly cuter than before, he found himself hurrying to answer. "No, I… We… We haven't plant, no planned, anything. They all look fine, ugh no, fun!"

This, he thought miserably, is why he doesn't speak to her. His mouth had somehow stumbled incoherently over a short answer and she must think he is a colossal idiot now, that is if she hadn't thought so before. Resisting the urge to hide his face in his hands, his eyes darted away from her restlessly in an attempt to steel his nerves.

"Well, okay… if you're okay with attending King of the Mummers play at the start, then we have a deal," she decided, after a second of contemplation.

"A deal?" Aegon asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, Talea can't go alone, and I can't accompany her at the start because I have to perform at the play. But if you're willing to accompany Talea to the play, then the problem would be solved!"

"Oh…" Aegon started, scarcely believing his luck. He wanted to jump for joy and sweep everyone around into a hug, especially Cat and maybe Duck.

But his lack of response must have stirred her confidence because she began to look down at her feet uncomfortably. "I mean, I understand if you would rather not," she began hurriedly, "there are probably other people you wanted to ask and…"

"No!" Aegon exclaimed in alarm as Cat's dazzling eyes shot up to look at him. Oh, that was bad, he realised immediately as his nerves began to crumple at the mere stress of her looking at him. "No, no, no, not at all. That… that sounds like a fanatic, that is, fantastic idea! I would love you, no I meant, to!"

She stared at him, taking a moment to comprehend his rambling speech before she broke into a wide smile, pulling him into a quick hug. "That's wonderful, Talea will be so happy she can go! I'll let Brusco know!"

By the time he processed what happened, she'd spun around, rushing towards the now brawling sisters with the news. She hugged me, he thought in disbelief, almost shaking with joy as he found himself smiling for the first time that night.

* * *

"So…" Duck smirked at him, "Am I a genius or a genius?"

"Shut up."

"So, about that date with Nymeria…"

"Thanks for showing me how innocent your motives are."

"Aww… come on buddy, you could pull some strings, please," Duck groans, dragging out the last end of his sentence in a whiny tone.

"Nymeria's stubborn."

"But…"

"And your plan was still dumb."

"Egg…"

"I'll give it a go," he said finally, with an aggravated sigh.

* * *

"Hey, Bugaboo!" Chat Noir called happily, thoughts of the play and her script already slipping out of her mind as she bounded towards the tall figure crouching on top of a nearby roof, clad in a stunning red and black costume. "What are you watching for?"

"Shh… I'm watching Butcher Boy. And don't call me that," he hissed. "His sword turns everyone it touches into his avid fan, but I think that's where his Akuma is hidden too. That means you only get one chance to destroy it or you would also become a fan."

"Can't we try using another object to break it?"

"I think it's indestructible. I tried snapping it with my yoyo before you arrived, but all it did was make him angrier."

"Damn, I hate all these indestructible weapons," she groaned, peeking over the roof to take a look at Butcher Boy. Gasping with surprise, she tilted her head curiously. "Isn't that… oh, never mind. But look, he's going after Joffrey!"

"The blond boy is Joffrey? You know him?"

"Ugh, don't I know him," Chat Noir said in disgust, scrunching up her nose. "Can't we just let Butcher Boy bash him a little. He'd deserve it for sure."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes at her immediately. "Kitty, you know we cannot possibly let it happen. We're not here to judge them!"

Raising her hand in surrender, partly knowing that he was right and partly not wanting to contradict her partner, she sighed. "You clearly don't know Joffrey Lannister. But we'll do as you say." Turning her attention back to their current supervillain, she tensed her calves in preparation to attack.

"Wait!" Ladybug cried, pulling her back by the hand just as she was about to leap out. "Didn't you hear me? You've only got one shot!"

"I heard you, pretty bug. I don't miss." Trying to shake her arm from Ladybug, the only thing she succeeded in doing was tighten his grip on her as he reaches for his yoyo, probably to conjure his Lucky Charm. Well if he wasn't going to let her show off her uncanny fighting skills, the least she could do is to show off some other skills then, she decided, leaning forward to smirk at him. "Aww… you really don't want to lose me to Butcher Boy, ay?" she asked cheekily.

Rolling his eyes, Ladybug leaned back and turned away, throwing the yoyo up to call for the Lucky Charm as she predicted, conjuring none other than a pair of bracelets. Shooting another look at the giggling Chat Noir, he released her hand, glancing around and quickly spotting a piece of kite lying in the nearby pier. "Get the string of the kite for me please, I need to find someone to help us with this."

Pouting, Chat considered if she should try to convince Ladybug to just let her attack but seeing as it is probably futile attempt, she nodded, leaping over the side of the building to retrieve it. Meanwhile, hurrying over to the nearby Rhaenys with confidence that she could pull this off, Ladybug murmurs the plan into her ear.

Within minutes, Rhaenys, pretending to have become one of Butcher Boy's fans, had convinced him to put on the pair of bracelets. With the bracelets attached to the kite string, Ladybug yanked firmly on the string, causing the villain to stumble and drop his beloved sword. His eyes widen briefly, before narrowing fiercely at Ladybug, charging towards him, his sword forgotten.

He had barely taken two steps before he collapsed, turning back to a redheaded boy baffled by his new surroundings. Grabbing the bracelets as he rushed behind the boy, Ladybug quickly scooped up the Akuma with his yoyo and throws the bracelets in the air.

"In such a rush, Ladybug?" Chat asks laughing as they pounded their fist to celebrate their victory. "Don't you care for a little date with me? It is the Unmasking today after all, the perfect time for us to reveal our identities, don't you think?" Raising her eyebrows suggestively, she twirls her staff in her hands in what she hopes is a captivating manner.

"You know we can't reveal our identities," he calls in reply, not bothering to wait any longer as his earrings beep urgently. "Help bring the boy back, please." Besides, he was already irritated at having to deal with this villain because the last thing he'd ever want to do was to be late for Cat's performance. Taking a moment to run pass a narrow and empty alleyway, he rushed back to the play, hoping he wasn't going to be late.

* * *

"Damn you took long in the toilet," Duck commented, but before Aegon could reply or question the sudden appearance of three awfully familiar ladies next to them, a loud round of applause rang as the curtains fell open and they turned their eyes back to the front.

* * *

"Mercy, the play almost had to start without you!"

"Sorry, sorry!" she whispered, before rushing to her position on stage.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own either A Song of Ice and Fire or Miraculous Ladybug._

"Who are they?" Talea asked Aegon, her finger curled around Aegon's hand tightly despite her even voice. "I didn't know there were going to be so many more people." Despite Duck's promise to supposedly charm Talea and lead her away, Talea had taken to Aegon and had been sticking close to him for the whole night so far.

"Yeah, me neither," Aegon grumbled, shooting a grumpy look at the trio who had joined them just before the play began.

This only served to amuse Rhaenys, laughing heartily as she swung her arm around her little brother. "The more the merrier! We heard that this show was going to be amazing so we had to come see."

"Of course it is, Cat is a talent to behold!" Talea informed proudly, puffing her chest out adorably as though it was something for her to be proud of as well. Smiling, Aegon ruffled her hair.

"Very impressive indeed," Nym agreed, grinning. "It does help that this is one of the best stories in the world."

Daenerys rolled her eyes at Nym's cheeky smile. "You're only saying that because it is about Queen Nymeria."

"That doesn't change the truth!" she insisted. "Well anyway, I've got to congratulate some of my other friends in the play first. Let Cat know that I thought she played an excellent Nymeria, will you?" Not waiting for an answer, she did a little salute at them and strolled off to join a group of Dornish who were also waiting for the performers.

Now that she was out of earshot, Aegon rounded on his sister. "I asked for Nym."

"Look, Nym wasn't even interested and she only agreed after Daenerys here told her something," at this she shoots Daenerys a dark look, "which they both refuse to tell me about. So the deal was that they both came together."

"Okay, but you're here too. Don't you have some pretty boys to be charming?"

"Aww, don't be silly, who is going to help wingman you without your wonderful sister?" Rhaenys coo-ed mockingly. "Duck? He'd be too busy fawning over Nym to do anything."

"Hey!" Duck protested. "I am an amazing wingman. Who's the one that set up this date, hm?"

Rhaenys snorted in response. "Don't be jealous, big boy. I'll wingman you too."

"I don't need…"

"Why does Aegon need a wingman?" Daenerys interrupted suddenly, her tone unusually sharp. Turning to her, Aegon found that her usually ethereal face was clouded with a dark look he couldn't quite place. As if a sudden chill had washed over them, a hush fell over the group.

"Cat!" Talea cried happily, unaware or perhaps uncaring of the atmosphere as she released Aegon's hand immediately. Somehow without any of them noticing, Cat had sneaked up from behind the group and had picked little Talea up, swinging her around effortlessly, as though she hadn't spent a good portion of the past hour performing.

"See ya around, Mercy! Have fun at the festival!" one of the other performers, a little dwarf, called, waving at Cat before disappearing into the crowd. Cat waved back at him briefly before setting Talea back on the ground, her hands now firmly grip by Talea.

"Mercy?" Rhaenys asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

"It's a nickname," Cat replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Who are… Oh hey, Dany! I didn't know you were coming!"

"You… you know each other?" Duck blinked, confused.

"Of course we do, we've been friends forever," she responded as she moving forward to embrace Cat, although her eyes remained firmly fixed on Aegon as she smiled her most innocent smile, as though nothing had happened a mere few seconds ago. Aegon was not easily frightened, but he had to make an effort not to shudder at the dangerous look in her eyes. This night was already turning out to be far more of a disaster than he initially anticipated and unconsciously, he found himself looking to Rhaenys and Duck for help. Duck shrugs but Rhaenys' frown confirms exactly what he suspected.

He and Daenerys had never been the best of friends. Before he could even remember, his parents had been divorced and his family (his mother, sister, and himself) had always been living with the Martells, far from the Targaryens. However, during the far and few Targaryen family reunions, Daenerys and he had somehow managed to maintain a mutual aversion towards the other. Despite the fact that she was his aunt, being fairly similar in age and the youngest of the family had often put them together to play during family reunions, although neither of them are likely to describe it as fun.

From the first meeting he could recall, the disparity between them were already glaringly evident. Both Rhaenys and he, at that time, had but one shared Balerion between them (or at least that's what he liked to claim when in reality, the cat was more of Rhaenys' pet which she was nice enough to let him play with). Meanwhile, Rhaegar had three magnificent horses, Viserys had three exotic snakes, and Daenerys herself had three exquisite dragons.

At that time, Rhaenys had already found the situation exceedingly unfair. On top of that, her hatred towards their father (which extended to his sibling and essentially the whole Targaryan family) meant she was always found clutching her mother's hand tightly, glaring at anyone who even looks at her and refusing to play with either Daenerys or Viserys. Young him hadn't cared that much at all, not having any memories of a time where his parents were together or any understanding in the way his father had cruelly slighted his mother. All he had wanted to do when he saw Daenerys' baby dragons were to play with them, the way he played with Balerion.

Daenerys had snapped at him when he so much as looked at her dragons, so when she had gone out for some candies, he had leaned over and tried to pet the green dragon. The dragon had tilted his head, as though curious, and just when his hand was about to touch the dragon, he had heard the angry voice of Daenerys call "Dracarys", and before he knew it, he was screaming in pain.

It was a disaster, to say the least. He doesn't recall much of it besides being very, very hurt. According to Rhaenys, their mother was furious and wanted to take the Targaryen's to court, but their grandmother Rhaella had paid for Aegon's treatment fees and begged her not to. The Martells and Targaryens had never been on good terms even before the Rhaegar-Elia's marriage, and had been much worse after Rhaegar's affair, so it was no surprise that Oberyn had been so furious that he had actually wanted to kill all the dragons. It took a lot of persuasion on Doran and Ellaria's part to dissuade him, especially since Elia, who was usually the best at calming Oberyn, was of no help in this instance.

Following that wonderful opening, things had never really gone uphill. Aegon had actually tried to reach the figurative olive branch first because Grandma Rhaella had told her that Daenerys didn't mean to hurt him. He had explained what he was trying to do and promised not to do it again. When she didn't respond, he crawled over, telling her that he'd forgive her and play with her if she apologised, but she only eyed him skeptically, turning away from him to play with her lemons herself. He had been a sensitive child and was very hurt by this, so he had run crying to his mother. To this day, Aegon never understood why trying to pet her dragon warranted him second degree burns.

To give her credit, she did try to apologise the next reunion, nearly two years after the previous one. Though by then, he had been older (and wiser). Rhaenys and the Sand Snakes had filled him in about their father and his actions, about how the Targaryens became so rich, and how it made them act as though they are superior to everyone else in the world. "They think they're gods," Obara had scoffed. So when Daenerys had tried to promise not to do it again, he knew it for the farce that it really was. Rhaella (bless her soul) had definitely put her up to it in her effort to hold together the family. He knew that Daenerys was a Targaryen, she didn't care if her actions hurt anyone. They were too far beneath her for her to be bothered with.

So he merely sneered at her, "The same way my father promised not to hurt my mother, I suppose?"

She had looked at him confused for all of a few seconds, before hardening her eyes. "Martells and their rumours," she murmured as she had walked out.

Subsequently, they barely interacted with one another but their animosity grew with them competing over their grades and respective sports. Daenerys was in horse racing and every time she brought home a medal, Aegon felt the weight of bringing back one in rowing double down on him. The Martells were never more passionate about his sport than when Daenerys had just won a field in hers. He really didn't need one more field (the field of becoming Cat's lover in this case) to be competing with her in.

"So who's your friend?" Cat asked Daenerys expectantly, her voice effectively breaking Aegon out of his thoughts.

Rhaenys brows knit together at her statement immediately and Daenerys concurrently wrinkled her nose at this. But deciding it would be a little too tactless to just outright declare that she and Daenerys weren't friends, she opted for just introducing herself. "I'm Rhaenys, Aegon's older sister. I've heard a lot of your bargaining skills," Aegon elbows her at this, "and although I cannot attest to that personally, I must say your acting skill is simply otherworldly. Nymeria, our cousin, was blown away, and she's rarely impressed by anything." If Daenerys had stakes in this game, she was suddenly ten times more excited for it, she decided as she repressed a feral grin. Beside her, Aegon bit in a groan as though he could already tell what she was thinking.

"Nymeria?" Cat asked, her eyes widening. "Your cousin?"

"Yes, she should be back soon. Why?"

Cat chuckled, thinking of her precious pet dog with the very same name and the play she had just done. "Nothing," she said, smiling. "It's a lovely name, is all. And very fitting for tonight."

Duck laughed at that. "Indeed. She was very pleased when she realised you were acting as Queen Nymeria."

"So, what's the plan anyway?" Daenerys finally asked, injecting herself back into the conversation. "I heard there was a horse racing station down the street that might be interesting." At this, she turned a challenging smirk at Cat who only chuckled.

"If you think just because we're far off Westeros that you will win, you will find yourself sorely mistaken I'm afraid," Cat warned, raising an eyebrow with an equally challenging look. "But it's Talea's first time to the festival and she can only stay till eleven, so I, at least, will be bringing her around first."

Turning to the child, she tickled her chin and the girl swatted at her hand, laughing. I don't have any plans actually, so I don't mind going with what Talea wants too, Aegon wanted to say, but his mouth didn't seem willing to work with him. "Me… me too," he finally said, causing everyone to turn to look at him.

"You have a curfew?" Daenerys asked, clearly delighting at his stuttering and complete inability to handle himself around Cat.

"No! I just… I don't… Anything works so… Sounds good?" He tried. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Rhaenys and Duck trying not to laugh and had to hold in the urge to scowl at them. So much for being his wingman, they were both more likely to amuse themselves with his idiocy.

"Well, I'm in too," Daenerys decided, immediately. "So, where do you want to go, Talea?" she asked, turning to smile at the little girl. Probably flaunting her ability to speak in front of Cat to him too, Aegon thought grumpily.

Talea hadn't even had the chance to reply when Nymeria rushed back, waving some odd-looking purple flags in her hands. "I got some free tickets for some fishing game with the Fowlers! Anyone interested?"

Talea scrunched her nose in response. "I don't want to fish on my night out. I want to go to the face painting booth!" she declared excitedly.

Cat sighed, having truly wanted to talk to the girl with the same name as her character and pet, but she looked at Nymeria apologetically. "Sorry, I'll be bringing her to facepainting then. Have fun with fishing and may we meet again then, girl-with-the-coolest-name-ever?"

Nymeria laughed. "Perhaps later then, but it would be an honor to hang out with such a wonderfully talented Cat!" Expectantly, she turned looked at the rest of them.

"Egg and Dany said they're going with Talea, but I'd like to try fishing," Duck offered, walking over to take one of her purple flags as though he wasn't dead sick of seafood already.

Rhaenys cringed internally at how obvious he was, but decided that her brother probably needed her help more. The worse Nymeria would do was to reject Duck, but she found it hard not to worry about her anxious little brother, especially in the face of Daenerys Targaryen and someone who was apparently her good friend. "I think I'll try the face painting with them," she told Nymeria, jerking her head slightly towards Aegon.

Nymeria grins. "Cool! Tell me how face painting goes," she drawls, dragging out the words 'face painting' so dramatically even Talea seemed to have caught on that something was up. It was an effort for Aegon to not groan or hide his face.

An hour later, Aegon had no choice but to concede that Rhaenys was truly an evil genius. He still wasn't sure how, but Rhaenys had somehow managed to trick Daenerys into going for some special event that Talea hadn't wanted to go to, and thus managed to drag Daenerys away with her. He wasn't sure why Daenerys hadn't put up a bigger fight about it, but he supposed he should be grateful for his luck.

That left Talea with him and Cat, but he was surprisingly glad for her presence. It certainly made it much easier to talk and on top of that, Talea was such an adorable little girl he honestly enjoyed her company almost as much as Cat's. She also smiles a lot more around Talea (it was hard not to), making her presence so much more of a blessing.

Talea definitely had some ploy up her sleeves though, and he can't help but regret having the conversation about his affections for Cat in front of her. She had given him funny looks all night, dragging them to oddly romantic settings with waltzing lessons and painting games where Aegon had to paint her and Cat. At some point, she had also dragged them to join a pair sword fighting game with a puppy plushie as a prize.

"I really want a puppy, but dad won't let me have one. Can't I have the puppy plushie, pleaseee," she had cried, pouting her cutest pouts, and Cat hadn't been able to resist rising up to the occasion. As a pair game, they had to fight side-by-side against multiple different challenger, and he learnt that Cat was a really good fighter, arguably better than him although that had not been tested yet. There was something so familiar about her stance and the way she moved and fought that he couldn't quite place, and it had been surprisingly easy to pair with her. It was as though they knew exactly where the other would be at any moment, but that might have been his heart talking.

When it was finally time for Talea to go home, he almost found himself sad at the prospect that she was no longer going to be accompanying them. That is, until the devilish glint appeared in her eyes as she turned to him. "Egg, you can row, can't you?"

He paused, almost regretting having brought it up earlier. "Yes…"

"Can we rent a boat?" she said excitedly. "You could row me home and then row back, right?! That would be so cool!"

He really wanted to ignore the fact that there is no reason why this should impress her with her father often rowing out for his job and with her often going with him, but it was glaringly obvious that something was up with her. To her credit, Cat hadn't mentioned her weird behaviour throughout the night, and just as before, Cat merely smiles, pointing out the nearby shop which was renting out boats.

When Talea was finally put to bed after her excitement and Cat had gone down to bid her employer farewell, Talea grabbed his hand. "I set up the whole thing to be just like the little mermaid," she told him seriously. "So you're going to have to take the chance and… kiss the girl. Okay?"

Aegon laughed nervously. I don't know what you're talking about, he wanted to say, but at the no-nonsense look on her face, he knew she wasn't going to take that for an answer. "I don't think Cat would like me just suddenly kissing her."

"Confess or something," Talea groans. "What's the worse that could happen?"

"Maybe."

Talea wrinkles her nose at him. "You're a coward. But I hope you won't be coming back for clams tomorrow." Without giving him a chance to defend himself, he turned to face the other side and Aegon stands up to leave, bidding her good night.

Perhaps he would try to confess on the boat, after all. How many other such chances were likely to come along anyway?

_A/N: __To all the people who like Dany and are mad at this, I'm sorry. I love Dany too and I swear she isn't actually as bad as this chapter may seem to imply. It's just that this is from Aegon's point of view and he has a bias view, having been raised by Martells (as she does against him, being raised by the Targaryens). Also, she's just known Arya first and had her "dibs" on her in a sense, so when she learns that Aegon, of all people, was fond of her, she's more than a little unhappy about it._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own either A Song of Ice and Fire or Miraculous Ladybug._

Daenerys Targaryen had beaten Rhaenys at another game at the festival, yet despite the ongoing Targaryen-Martell rivalry that Rhaenys had never shied away from (in fact, she might have fueled it more often than not), she found that she couldn't bring herself to begin to care as her chest tightened with every passing minute. What had she been thinking when she sent Aegon off with some unknown not-Braavosi-but-she-wasn't-sure-from-where girl? Sure, Cat had been lovely throughout the evening, but Cat was also Daenerys' friend and Daenerys had let them go away too easily despite clearly indicating that she too had a thing for the brunette.

Somewhere by her side, Daenerys must have been taunting her about her loss again but Rhaenys could barely pay attention, her thoughts consumed by worries about the dangers her little brother could be in. She had been so excited upon finding out he actually fancied someone for once that she had let the thought of his safety slip her mind. Braavos might be friendly with the Martells, but it was a trade city with a mess of different people. He should never have used his real name. She supposes Braavos was still better than Pentos (where she was studying), but she had just sent Duck, the very person every Martell sibling (that is the Sand Snakes, her and Egg, and Uncle Doran's children who actually bear the Martell name) had charged with protecting him, away with Nym.

Not that Aegon knew, of course. She was sure he would have been furious and would have ditched Duck the second he found out (which she hopes is never). She had been beyond upset when Aegon had announced that he wanted to study in Braavos to join their brilliant rowing team and thankfully, every single member of the extended Martell family had immediately objected on account of the dangers it might possess. Unfortunately, Aegon had then charmed and wheedled and somehow convinced Uncle Doran and Uncle Oberyn and even Mom, the most overbearing overprotective person she knows, to let him go with only Nym as his guardian. Nymeria who spends most of her time finding entertainment with the littlest care for safety in the whole family. Obara might be more reckless but Rhaenys would have felt better if she had been Aegon's guardian because she knew that Obara was fiercely protective of all of them and would never be lax with Aegon's safety, something she cannot say for Nym, as much as she loved the rest of them.

Upon discovering that Duck was also going to Braavos, she had suspected his intentions, but nonetheless decided to approach him anyway. He was after all an impressive fighter and loves Aegon like a little brother he never had. At his exasperated smile with her threats on his life should Aegon get hurt, she realised that she was clearly not the only person who thought him perfect for the job, but did her due diligence to make sure her brother was safe too.

Unfortunately, both Duck and Nymeria were nowhere near Aegon now, likely having assumed being off-duty with her around. They must have thought she would stay with him through the night and she should have, but she had let the excitement of the festivities get to her and it was starting to haunt her.

"I'm going to find Aegon," she decides, unable to focus with the anxiety clouding her head. Daenerys, who she realises belatedly that she must have interrupted, looks at her in surprise.

* * *

"Why?" She frowns suspiciously. Rhaenys and Duck had clearly been trying to set up Arya and Aegon, and it made no sense for her to make the decision to interrupt them. Before Dany had the chance to question Rhaenys, she had already marched off, towards the quick-painting booth they last saw the Arya, Aegon, and Talea at.

Dany knew she had confused them with her intentions when she barely put up a fight with Rhaenys (of all people) dragging her off to the fire dance show. She had meant to confuse them, after concluding that some alone time for Arya and Aegon would likely mean nothing to Arya anyway. Despite her initial reaction upon discovering Aegon's affection (because who was he to challenge her for Arya), it took her barely any time to realise that Aegon was never and would never be a threat anyway.

She had always been aware that the Martells had a silly habit of pitting Aegon's achievement against her own, but in truth, she had never bothered with the rivalry. She was a full-blooded Targaryen, blood of the dragon, who had surpassed both her brothers in status the minute she hatched her three dragons in her cradle. Aegon, pretty as he might be, wasn't fit to be her competition and a thousand rowing championships was never going to change that.

She would never say that to his face though, for she couldn't face Grandma Rhaella's disappointment that was sure to follow. She knew that grandma tried endlessly to reconcile her grandchildren into the family, but even Rhaegar appears to have little interest in Elia Martell's children, and Eddard Stark would not even concede to bring Lyanna's son to Dragonstone for any visits.

Besides, though she could scarcely remember the incident from her childhood, Viserys often told of how Aegon had tried to entice her dragons and steal them away for the Martell family. Something she realised probably hadn't gone the way Viserys told it when she was old enough to understand his delusions, but nonetheless held a sting to it.

At that point, she knew (from vague memories and grandma's stories) that for much of her young life, Viserys had been insistent that the three dragons were meant for the three siblings - one for each much like the three dragons and siblings of their ancestors. But the dragons were hers, and hers alone, and she trusted nobody else to take care of them. Both their stubbornness had made their place a fire hazard for a while, with Viserys facing the dragons' breath every time he tried to steal them, until Rhaella had finally settled for getting both Viserys and Rhaegar three pets of their own, the snakes and the horses respectively.

She had never known exactly where Rhaegar stood on their arguments, but she suspects he might have wanted a dragon of his own as well. Occasionally, when he was being particularly bitter, Viserys still brings up the incident (as if Dany remembers much of it) but Dany has learnt that the best way to shut him up was to remind him (sweetly, of course) that he should be grateful that they weren't full grown yet during the strife.

Perhaps she might have cause to worry if she had been enamoured with the older Stark daughter, for she had heard that the boy was charming and could have half the girls in Dorne if only he tried (or so Quentyn tells her). But his charms were going to be useless, for Arya was immune to ridiculously pretty faces. She would know, she has tried after all. His inability to converse with her and futile attempts only served to amuse her. He didn't even know her true name!

Watching Rhaenys interrogate the stall owners of the booths with increasing ferocity about a tall blue-haired boy, brunette, and child, none of them daring to refuse her questions with her attitude, she started to recognise the tight look on her face as concern. It was the same look she finds herself with when any of her dragons were sick, or missing, or that one time when Viserion's foot had been injured.

A look she had come to understand a lot more after meeting Arya Stark, for it is a look she showered on anyone who was hurt in some ways, whether it be friends and families, or strangers and animals. A look that was worn by so many of the Stark family when it comes to Arya as well - the way her siblings had run over when she slipped off a horse, or went missing for half a day helping an orphan boy with something. A look Dany had come to envy the more she saw it.

And for the first time in her life, observing Rhaenys' frantic attempts to locate her brother, Dany found herself jealous of Aegon Targaryen.

* * *

When Rhaenys finally spotted the telltale blue hair afloat the river with the girl, she had a sudden irrational thought that the girl was trying to drown him. It's a crowded public area, she told herself firmly. He's safe. They're playing. You shouldn't interrupt them because you know he wants this, he's smiling and happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time, and you're his wingman, she thought, desperately trying to calm herself down. But her heart wouldn't steady and before she could change her mind, she called after him, hating herself for it.

* * *

Being around Rhaenys had always bothered her. Besides being frighteningly Martell in all but name, there was also the odd fact that she especially hated her oldest brother, Rhaegar Targaryen. From all she's been told by Uncle Jon and Uncle Arthur, Rhaegar had been kind to Elia Martell for all of their arranged marriage and had been a good father to Rhaenys. She supposes he did leave them for Lyanna Stark, but that was because of the ways of love that cannot be explained, and surely she could not fault him for something quite so silly. Elia had not been his choice and pretending to love her was almost as much a disservice anyway.

Being around Rhaenys with her frantic searching and evident worry only grated her nerves ever so much more and Dany was just considering leaving to enjoy the festival herself when Rhaenys stopped abruptly in front of her. Looking up, she found Aegon's bright blue hair by the water, splashing at Arya who merely laughed and tackled him into the water and she felt her heart begin to tighten. She should never have been so careless to let Rhaenys drag her away. She had let slip her mind how fond Arya was of befriending everyone, caring for people beneath her station and loving people unworthy of it. She was just about to storm up to break them apart when, to her immense surprise, Rhaenys had already started to do.

"Aegon!" Rhaenys called, crossed. "Are you trying to catch a cold, you fool!"

The pair looked up at the sudden interference. The horrible thought that they were going to ignore Rhaenys and continue their shenanigans plagued Dany's mind, but then Arya smiled sheepishly and Aegon laughed, standing up and pulling Arya up with him, before jogging up to his sister. "Don't be so uptight Rhae, it's not that cold out anymore, I'll be fine!" Petting her on her head almost mockingly, he grins. "Don't worry."

Rhaenys only slaps his hand away but Dany saw the look in Aegon's eyes. He had noticed the tightness of her expression, the stiffness in her shoulders, and a troubled expression flickered across his brows.

Realizing that this was the best time to get Arya all to herself, she spoke up. "Cat, let's head to my place to dry off. We can go find some masks to use for the final event too!"

"Sure!" Spinning around with her back towards the direction of Dany's place, she took a step backwards and beckoned to the siblings. "Come on."

All three Targaryens turned to face her, astonished. "I… I didn't mean…"

"But Aegon has to dry off too!" Arya exclaims, her innocent confusion clear on her expression and Dany wanted to shake Arya until she understood. "Your place is so close, surely you don't mind?"

Struggling to think of an excuse to reject the Targaryen-Martell siblings, she was saved from this dilemma when she noticed that Rhaenys had tensed up again, her hand twitched as though itching to grab Aegon and drag him off. Aegon remained smiling at them, but as though somehow noticing his sister's mood without even looking, he slings his arm around Rhaenys warmly, half soaking her in the friendly gesture. Despite this, Rhaenys made no move to shake him off, nor did she do anything to acknowledge it, yether shoulders relaxed, her features begin softening ever so slightly. "Nah, it's fine. We'll go to mine to try on, uhh, dry off. Let's surprise our masks, ugh, no… each other with our masks!"

"Alright, meet back here in about an hour then?"

"Okay!"

* * *

"Rhaenys, I'm twenty, don't you think I'm old enough to take care of myself?"

"I know."

"I've been okay all these months alone in Braavos."

No, she thought. Not alone, with Duck, but she wasn't about to correct him. "I know, it's just… I just realise we know nothing about Cat!"

"You know nothing about Cat, I do. We've been interacting for a while now, you know."

If stumbling on every other word or so counts as interacting, she supposes. "We don't know her background. What if she has malicious intent?!"

"She doesn't!"

"How can you know that? She is Dany's friend."

"So what?" Aegon argued. "Dany isn't so bad."

Rhaenys gaped at him. "Dany burnt your hand!"

"She was a child!"

"Look, love has made you blind. You're being unreasonable."

"Duck doesn't have a problem with me liking Cat."

"Duck is wrong!"

"Rhaee," Aegon sighed exasperated.

"I don't think you should chase her."

"I want to." Rhaenys eyes widen at that declaration, dropping the the mask she was picking up to try on. Aegon had always been an obedient child, much to the delight of their mother and uncles. With Arianne, Rhaenys, Quentyn, and all of the Sand Snakes (even in terms of trying children, Oberyn contributed the most difficulty as usual), Aegon's quiet mild manner had been a blessing, always happy to listen and eager to please. As far as she remembered, he had never outright contradicted anything they told him to do and now that he suddenly decided to do so, she found herself at a loss of what to do.

Sighing, Aegon drew his legs up and sank deeper into the couch he was crushing. "Look, for your peace of mind, let's just go off on our own, okay? Maybe find Duck and Nym, finish the Unmasking Ceremony, and call it a day?"

"Hm, that sounds like a much better ide…"

"But I am not promising to stop courting Cat after this."

"Aegon…"

"I didn't want to pull this card, but Nym is my guardian. She has no objections."

"... I'm not promising to stop attempting to persuade you."

"Deal."

"Deal," Rhaenys conceded after a short pause of consideration, despite how unwilling she was, still reeling from the shock of her brother's little rebellion.

In the end, after she has retired to Nym's place for the night, she had found her persuasion skills deeply lacking. Aegon was still going to attempt to court Cat. Nym, riled by the legendary Martell-Targaryen feud, was also still in full support upon learning the Daenerys was also fond of Cat, although her strange behaviour made Rhaenys suspect that another factor might be at play. Duck didn't appear to have any motives, but all the same he would not try to stop Aegon, though that she was not surprised about given his fierce loyalty towards him. She bemoaned the fact that she has to return to Pentos the next day.

* * *

Dany ended the day grouchier than she expected. Although she had succeeded in her goal to steal Arya from the Martell's clutches when Aegon and Rhaenys returned only to inform them that they were going to spend time together after so much time apart, she barely got any time with her. They had returned to the horse racing station, where she was soundly beaten by Arya (though she didn't really mind as much as she used to), and went to the main square for the Unmasking Ceremony, but less than 20 minutes after that, Arya had declared that she was tired and was going to retire for the day!

Arya Stark who had boundless energy and who she knew usually stayed up for far longer than 20 minutes past midnight, but she couldn't be convinced to stay. Dany did try to follow and see where she had truly gone off to (surely she cannot be truly simply going to bed on such a major day of celebration), but despite Dany's best effort, she quickly lost Arya and after a few more minutes of fruitless searching, decided to enjoy the party herself.

As the biggest festival of the year played on the streets of Braavos, a dark figure tailed another shadow through the back alleys.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own either A Song of Ice and Fire or Miraculous Ladybug._

"You should not have gone to the festival. We would have more time to prepare," Rugen murmured disapprovingly the moment Ladybug entered the underground tunnel. It was not the first time Rugen had said this to him, but he tried not to huff at the unfairness of the statement, for he had never asked to be dragged to this underground world of becoming a vigilante.

"It was important," Ladybug insisted quietly, taking the black cloak from Rugan, draping it over himself and pulling the hood over his head to hide his unfortunately brightly coloured costume. He loved being Ladybug and its power felt so incredibly right to him, but it is times like this that made him with he had the Chat Noir's costume, for it was far more suitable for reconnaissance missions that Rugen had meant for him to do. With what felt like his best chance of courting Cat ruined by his overprotective sister and the duty of Ladybug, the absence of his partner for such missions weighed heavier on him than ever before. "And Chat Noir?"

He almost regretted asking the question with the silence that fell immediately after. "You know my stance on this."

"But…"

"But clearly, it bears repeating. We don't know enough about Chat Noir to trust her."

"She's saved my life multiple times."

"Which could be a ploy."

"I don't think it is. You've not seen her passion for justice in action, or you would understand. I would trust her with my life."

"Then you're a fool, child. No matter, we will not discuss this any longer. I will look into her background and if it is evident that we can trust her, we will let her in." The air of finality in his tone irked Ladybug more than he expected it to. "Now go, or do you intend to lose the target for true?"

"She would do this better, you know," Ladybug says quietly, a last act of defiance as he turned to begin the chase, but not before he saw the look of reproach on Rugen's face that made him wince internally. Nevertheless, he vows to continue the push, for he truly believed that she was a worthy partner, accidental as the method of which she came to become his partner was.

* * *

Hooded figures were not uncommon in Braavos by any extent during most normal days, but even more so during the Unmasking festivals. A hooded figure scuttering after one of her trainers from the House of Black and White wasn't a particularly unusual sight either, but when the hooded figure moved like her vigilante partner, Arya's attention was definitely drawn.

Even on horseback, his movements were so distinct it was a wonder that, after a quick scan of the perimeter, she observed that nobody else had noticed. She supposes most people hadn't the chance to watch him the same way she did and as often as she did, but it was a dangerously risky move anyway. Considering the fact that he was tailing a Faceless Man, an exceptionally brilliant one too as she could attest from personal experience, Ladybug was a fool. This was another one of his top-secret-mission-he-never-told-her-about then.

Not wanting to lose the opportunity, she wandered in the direction she saw them heading, letting her eyelids begin to droop listlessly as Dany follow her around. From the corner of her eyes, the flash of red from under the cloak confirmed his identity once again (although she was already pretty sure prior to that), and she hurriedly declared herself too tired. Despite Dany's protest, she managed to leave the scene quickly, and then shake Dany off her trail just as quickly (ignoring the possessive stalking that Dany had a habit of doing this time, even though she has already told her time and again to drop it).

Finally free, her displeasure begin to rise as she promptly found a hidden location to transform and begin pursuing the suspicious duo. She had suspected that Ladybug has a true mission besides the Akuma's for a while now, with mounting evidence including the fact that she first met Ladybug before any Akuma sightings, his tailings of dangerous or important figures, and the mysterious need to hide himself from view.

When she had dropped hints of her thoughts though, he had denied it vehemently, stumbling through easily detected lies and she was shocked at how transparent he truly was. She hadn't called him out then, deciding to investigate the situation first, and from what she had gathered, it appears that he has an underground director of sorts who likely gave him the bracelets that granted Ladybug's powers. She didn't know what the underground director wanted from a hero, but all his missions seemed to surround stalking important personage from the Sealord of Braavos and keyholders of Iron Bank of Braavos to the Triarchs of Volantis and the Prince of Pentos. This perplexed her greatly, for she couldn't understand why he might have been chosen. He was a wonderful hero and fiercely inspiring, but given his generally honest personality, he was not one she would pick for undercover missions.

As though proving her point, the sound of the clashing of swords filled her ears. Flipping out a mirror, she found Ladybug, still cloaked and hooded for what it's worth, fighting Jaqen H'ghar. A second glance rapidly revealed that Ladybug's right thighs must have been cut for he was leaning heavily on his left foot and before she gave herself time to think, Chat Noir flung a carefully aimed stone from the riverbank nearby that caused Jaqen to crumple into a kneeling position. Run, she thought desperately. Run now and don't fight because this can barely buy any time, and the second act is required if Ladybug was to get away.

As though he heard her, Ladybug took off as fast as he could with a wounded leg. De-transforming in an instant, Weasel strolled into view, letting her face light up at the sight of her trainer who was just getting up from his fall.

"Jaqen!" she cried, her voice taking on a tone of excitement. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Weasel," he responded with a nod, his voice almost serene if not for the little hitch that indicated that he was slightly out of breath. It was an effort not to smirk as her heart swelled with pride, knowing that Ladybug had managed to tire Jaqen at least a little, even while injured.

"I don't think I've ever seen you fall," she said, her voice taking an almost gleeful tone of a student amused by her trainer's blunder.

Jaqen tilted his head, pausing for just a second too long that she knew he was using to decide on his story. "I do not trip often, a girl must be lucky to have managed to catch such a sight."

"Indeed." He was doing something worthy of suspicion then, since he opted not to tell of his stalker or to chase the hero. So much for all the talk of telling her the whole truth now that her training had been progressing well. "Are you on your way to the festivals?"

"A man has more important things to do then partake in frivolous games."

"Ah, pity. A girl shall see you in a few days then," Weasel replied, with a cheeky smile. "One must be off to catch her friends." Specifically, finding her precious Spots before Jaqen himself does. Waving, she forced herself to walk away from Ladybug's general direction and head a little further before transforming back to Chat Noir.

* * *

Ladybug was an idiot. He should've been more aware, should've realised that the man had realised he was being followed. His carelessness was nearly fatal when the man, abruptly swinging his sword towards him, nearly cut him in half. There had been no signs that he could see and the man was frighteningly swift. Thankfully, he had leapt away instantly, the sword only cutting his right thighs but it left his right leg significantly weakened.

He had drawn his sword immediately and held his ground as best as he could, but with his head lifted, he saw the man's recognition of his mask and it was an effort not to groan. He briefly wondered if it was a bad idea to have gone as Ladybug, for the implication of heroes potentially stalking Braavosi may not go over smoothly with the people, but quickly realises it would be so much worse if he had been seen as Aegon Targaryen instead. Aegon being the target could cause so much more problems, worrying his family greatly and potentially also putting himself in significantly more danger.

As though Lady Luck was shining down upon him (which he supposes she was given that he was Ladybug), the man suddenly crumpled onto the floor, his knees hit sharply by a small object he didn't identify. Seeing his opening, he turned and ran, his heart leaping at the thought that perhaps Chat Noir had helped him, although he quickly realised how unlikely that would be. He was still cloaked and Chat Noir would have no way of knowing the danger he was in.

For the briefest moment before he turned the corner, he had seen Cat emerge from another street and approach the very man he was following, and he had been tempted to turn around to protect her. But she had been friendly with the man, and he had then called her Weasel. Cat, Mercy, Weasel, it was a lot of names for one girl, and despite himself, Rhaenys' voice declaring that she was not as simple as he thought began ringing in his ears.

Focus, he told himself, breathing heavily as he hurried along. Twisting and turning down the alleyways of Braavos, he tried desperately to recall the different entrances to Rugen's tunnel, his head already spinning from the blood loss. He has taken multiple routes with Rugen, he should know where to find them, but he couldn't think straight and his heart was still pounding from the unexpected fight that had just occurred.

He had lost track of how much time had passed and was barely on the edge of consciousness when a familiar mask appeared before him. This must be a dream, he thought, before collapsing into the familiar arms before him.

* * *

His condition was worse than she thought, her anger and frustration at being left out of whatever Ladybug was doing disappearing in the instant he collapsed into her arms. Her heart thudded frantically as she hastily carried him down the place she found Plagg's ring months ago. Laying him across the floor, her hands trembled slightly as she started to treat him, for once grateful for all the emergency treatment her ridiculously overprotective parents had made her learn long ago.

If only she hadn't been busy fuming and watching Ladybug, she'd have paid more attention to Jaqen and not reacted only when it was too late and he had already gotten hurt. It was an effort not to panic as she tried to focus on stopping the blood from seeping out of his body and not on his increasingly shallow breath. She couldn't forgive herself if he doesn't pull through this, for not only was protecting him her responsibility as his (albeit possibly self-appointed) partner, he had also been the first person in Braavos to truly show her an unconditional kindness in a while, a light in her crumbling world.

Chat Noir hadn't really needed it, but it was a wonderful gesture nevertheless. She was merely upset after a disappointing day after failing, yet again, to land a role of her choice. She hadn't been meaning to drown herself truly, she never does. It was only that when she was upset, the act of sitting on the edge of the isolated bridge's railing gave her some comfort in the form of the idea that if she wanted to, she could end it right there and then. A reminder that it was her choice to continue, her choice to stand and fight, her choice to live against the odds.

Although there had been an increasing number of suicide in recent months, the desolate bridge was always isolated and she wasn't expecting any interruption to her lamentation. She had been suitably unnerved when a quiet cloaked figure found his way next to her with a quiet "Hey" and a less composed individual might have fallen into tumultuous river in shock, although he was probably prepared for that outcome.

She contemplated not replying, but finally gave a quiet "Hey" that clearly did not convey her message not to be disturbed, for he went on. "Today's been frustrating, hasn't it?"

"What would you know of it?" she snapped despite herself, before reproaching herself for reacting. The House of Black and White training had clearly not been paying off as quickly as she (and the rest of her family) might have hoped, for she was still fierce and temperamental and prone to anger more often than not. He turned to give her a smile, so bright it almost hurt to look at, and she immediately noted the odd red mask with black spots he wore, and the second red hood below the black hood he wore that almost made her laugh at the ridiculous outfit choice. "Nothing of your day, but mine has been harrowing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! I put so much effort to get away from family pressure, and I just barely succeeded when suddenly a… mentor has just dumped a random bunch of responsibilities on me." He grimaced. "Plus the mentor also jumbled things up a little, and made the responsibilities even harder than before, although I shouldn't complain too much for he has been very helpful nonetheless."

"Is that why you have that Cheetah mask?"

"That's not a Cheetah mask!" he cried indignantly, and this time, she did laugh.

"Then what is it?"

"Never mind the stupid mask, how's your day?"

"Very much not your business."

He blinked, as though not quite expecting that answer. "Aww… but could I know?" he asked, in an almost whiny tone, his lips pulling into an adorable pout that he seemed unconscious of.

She turned away from him to look into the river, kicking her feet leisurely as she considered for a while, before finally deciding, "I suppose it doesn't matter, since I don't know you and you don't know me anyway."

"How do you know that?" Cheetah (as she had mentally named him) demanded childishly. "Maybe I am someone you know under the mask." As though immediately regretting what he said, his eyes widened and he slapped his hands across his mouth.

She laughed. "I would know if you are. It's just that… I've been working at this place for a while now, and I've never been allowed the main role because I'm not as pretty as the other girl, and I know that she is much more suited for she is much prettier than I. But recently, she quit the job and so there was only me left for a while. So I actually had a chance of getting the main role for once because I'm the only one who has been trained with enough skills to play a main role. And, even better, we were going to be doing one of my favourite works soon."

"How are you not pretty enough for a main role? You're the most stunning girl I've met in a while!" Cheetah had interrupted. She knew he must have been saying it to cheer her up, to make a girl he thought was on the verge of a suicide feel better, but the sincerity and genuine incredulity of his tone made her blush anyway.

"Oh, shut up. Don't bother with telling me sugary lies, I know how I look." He frowned at this, and looked for a second like he was going to argue, but she continued before he could say anything. "Anyway, this new girl joined. Normally, when someone new joins, they have to go through at least three months being a stagehand, helping out with dressing up roles and shifting props. So I didn't think it was going to be a problem, even if she may be slightly prettier than I was, because we were going to do my favourite play in two months time. But… but then… " Her voice caught in her throat and she swallowed to clear it.

"They cast her for the main role?" Cheetah asked sympathetically.

"Yes! She had no prior experience and didn't know how to do anything! I'd understand if she was a stunning beauty like the girl who quit but she wasn't! To make it worse, she was to play Nymeria, and she is Lyseni with Valyrian features, and they would rather cast a Valyrian-looking Nymeria than let me play! I know what you're thinking. Valyrian features? That must mean she is gorgeous. But she isn't, I have seen Valyrian features that actually looks dazzling, and hers were pretty enough, but not… it's not…"

She wasn't that upset. She already knew she wasn't pretty, she had known for as long as she could remember with comments like horseface and endless comparison to her ever more beautiful sister, but when she dressed up and made up she could look a little pretty. She had even gotten a few compliments before dressed up for rehearsals and the likes. And Nymeria wasn't even ever stated explicitly to be stunningly gorgeous anyway so why couldn't she play. They had never let anyone skip stagehand roles but just because they didn't want her to play Nymeria? She wasn't that upset though, she wasn't! And she wasn't going to cry.

She bit her lips as she felt tears rolling down her cheeks anyway, and turned her head to face away from Cheetah. Feeling something light land on her legs, she looked down to find a blue handkerchief on her lap, where he had dropped it casually.

"Your bosses are fools," he told her earnestly as she picked up the handkerchief to clear her eyes. "I don't know what they were thinking, but they've missed out on probably the world's best Nymeria. Haven't you thought of switching to another company? One that will treat you more fairly?"

It's not that simple. It's part of my training with the House of Black and White and I can't just switch when I want to, she wanted to say, if only her training wasn't a secret. Even speaking to a stranger, she knew she couldn't risk mentioning something like that. "Most of the other companies are full," she replied, with a sigh. "They're definitely not worth this though," Cheetah told her firmly, angling his head towards the rushing water.

In her rage, she had nearly forgotten that he had come talk to her because he had thought she was going to jump. She gave him a small smile. "I wasn't going to."

There was a pause, and she thought that he was going to scold her for wasting his time for sure. He is a stranger anyway, she told herself, he can yell all he wants and it won't matter a whit to me. Yet for some reason she couldn't comprehend, it mattered and she had to fight the urge to wring her hands together anxiously.

"Truly?" he finally asked.

"Truly."

When he looked up, the only thing in his eyes was worry. "You promise?"

The choice of wording and tone was so innocent that it brought a true smile to her face. "I do."

He broke into his shockingly bright smile again. "I'm glad," he told her truthfully. "I have a feeling that the world would be so much less brilliant without you in it."

She couldn't find a response to that, the compliment so ridiculously grand it blew her far out of her comfort zone. Fortunately, she didn't need to, for he was already hopping up. "Well, I have to go because I've kind of jeopardised my own mission and I'm going to be in so much trouble," he told her with a sheepish smile. "Take care and be careful though!" She barely had the chance to respond with a "You too!" before he was already darting down the alley.

She had stared down at the handkerchief in amazement. 'I've jeopardised my own mission' he had said, and not 'you've jeopardised my mission', even though he probably only stopped doing whatever he was going (in hindsight, probably stalking some other important figure) because of her. It was delightful and refreshing to have someone not tell her it's her fault, even when she couldn't help but feel like this time it was at least a little her fault.

A pained groan snapped her out from her thoughts and she found Ladybug widening his eyes at her presence. "Chat Noir?"

_A/N: __Because I wanted Aegon to have blue hair and since blue hair aren't that common and we both want his identity safe, Tikki gave Ladybug a red hood._


End file.
